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By Cameron Kiszla
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Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren is no stranger to remarks about his weight.
The 7-foot-1 center and forward has long been derided for his thin frame, with his weight for the 2025-26 being listed at 213 pounds.
For comparison, the Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid, another center, is an inch shorter at 7 feet flat but weighs more than 50 pounds more at 270.
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Given that kind of size disparity, Thunder fans have hoped Holmgren would put on some weight.
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, they've gotten their wish, but perhaps not to the degree they'd want.
Holmgren is now up to 215 pounds, reports beat reporter Clemente Almanza of the OKC Thunder Wire.
Yes, that's 2 whole pounds.
Why does Chet Holmgren need to gain weight?
For Holmgren, the weight gain — or lack thereof, depending on your perspective — comes at a rough time.
The Thunder, champions of the NBA two years ago, were bounced from the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs and star Victor Wembanyama, who dominated Holmgren in the series.
It doesn't help that Wembanyama, who's also tall and spindly at 7 feet, 4 inches and approximately 240 pounds, put on 30 pounds since he entered the league.
"I gained probably like 30 pounds," Wembanyama told Kevin Hart on "Cold as Balls." "I'm in strength training, of course, but the main thing for me is I could, in theory, put on a lot of weight, but I would lose some of my mobility, some of my athleticism. So it's something that needs to be done really carefully."
In college, Holmgren weighed in at 195 pounds, according to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, so he has indeed put on some weight as his basketball career has progressed.
And outside of the San Antonio series, Holmgren has been a strong contributor for the Thunder.
That said, if he and the Thunder get knocked out of the playoffs by the Spurs again, Holmgren will likely again be facing questions about his size, with fans probably wanting him to put on more than just a couple pounds.
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